General Election 2024: Ian Bergström says Albany has ‘lost its way’

Ian Bergström has a long history of answering the call to public service in ways big and small. The Nassau County deputy attorney, a lifelong Floral Park resident, has coached basketball for the Floral Park Indians Athletic Club, serves as an usher at Our Lady of Victory Roman Catholic Church, and is a proud member of the Knights of Columbus.

Now the 32-year-old Republican says his Assembly district demands new leadership to keep his community safe and thriving. He knows his path to victory is difficult. But he says his decision to step off the sidelines and into the political arena against five-time incumbent Michaelle Solages is not “based on ego,” but instead rooted in restoring a lost concern by Albany lawmakers for middle-class families.

State government, Bergström argues, has “lost its way.” A fog of laws, policies and financial decisions, he says, have been passed in recent years that seem out of touch with the well-being of Long Island households.

After the approval of a historic $239 billion state budget, fiscal hawks project a possible $7.25 billion deficit in the next three years. Bergström says that he is determined, if elected, to clamp down on Albany’s “irresponsible” runaway spending.

“By limiting state spending, you ensure that residents have enough discretionary income to purchase what’s needed,” he said.

Bergström argues that out-of-control spending worsens the cost-of-living crisis by taking hard-earned money from taxpayers already burdened with high property taxes. While he has a general sense of the budget areas he would like to see cut — funding allocated to the migrant crisis is at the top of his list — he declined to share a specific fiscal plan without first conducting “an in-depth evaluation.”

On cashless bail reform, Democrats have called out Republicans’ ongoing criticism of the law as a political boogeyman aimed at persuading voters that they are soft on crime. Despite several rounds of revisions to the 2019 law — including measures giving judges greater discretion in preventing low-income people from facing pretrial detention for minor offenses — Bergström maintains that those concerns remain high.

“An amendment to the cashless bail legislation is necessary. Unfortunately, the law allows hardened criminals to be released from jail,” Bergström said, adding that lawmakers should work with law enforcement to rewrite the law, but he did not offer additional details.

As an Islanders season ticketholder, he hopes to make progress on an issue close to his heart — the frequent congestion on Hempstead Turnpike and the traffic-snarled streets around Elmont’s UBS arena.

“The traffic has become outrageous throughout the local neighborhoods and the nearby Cross Island Parkway,” Bergström said. “I believe that a lot of the dead space surrounding the Cross Island Parkway can be developed to increase parking accessibility as well as handling the traffic situation.”

He claims that the increased traffic has spilled over to affect residents’ quality of life. “Elmont is a quiet suburban community, but we have people parking in front of residential houses” and blocking driveways, he said. “People are unable to leave their houses during game nights and events. It’s an obvious concern.”

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